1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mechanism for removably engaging an item of portable equipment such as a transceiver or the like with a belt clip installed on either a band or a belt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The rapid progress or advancement in a semiconductor manufacturing technology in recent years has caused a remarkable small-sized formation of portable wireless machines such as a transceiver or various kinds of measuring equipment, and this progress has further caused a portable system with a belt clip to be widely used.
That is, these types of portable equipment are most conveniently installed at either a waist part or a belly part of a person with belt clip due to the fact that their size or weight is too large or heavy for being stored in a pocket in its-non-used state, or when they are put in a bag or the like, they are inconveniently taken out and used every time they are needed.
Then, with this kind of belt clip, there are provided one system in which the belt clip is directly fixed to either a casing surface of a portable equipment or its protection cover in advance and the other system in which a convenient engaging part arranged independently at the portable equipment is engaged with the belt clip.
In the former system, since the entire belt clip is integrally assembled with the portable equipment, there occurs a certain disadvantage in convenience of use at the time of utilization of the portable equipment, and further since the belt clip is installed at the belt with its clip side holding either the band or the belt, an inconvenience state created in which smooth fitting or removing cannot be carried out.
In turn, in the case of latter system, the portable equipment is merely provided with a convenient and small engaging part, a mechanism that can be easily fitted or disengaged between the engaging part and the belt clip can be independently constituted, so that such disadvantage and inconvenience in operation are not produced.
In the case of the engaging mechanism in which the belt clip and the portable equipment are installed independently, it is required to perform an easy engaging or disengaging operation and the belt clip is not easily removed under vibration and the like.
Accordingly, although various kinds of mechanisms have been proposed as the aforesaid engaging mechanism, the system having the configuration shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 is shown as one example.
At first, FIG. 10 shows a mechanism applied at the portable equipment, where (A) is a substantial front elevational view for showing the portable equipment; (B) is a sectional view taken along an arrow line Yxe2x80x94Y in (A); and (C) is a sectional view taken along an arrow line Xxe2x80x94X in (A).
In this figure, 101 denotes a portable equipment, 102 denotes a protrusion fixed with a screw at a rear surface of a casing of the portable equipment 101, where the protrusion 102 is comprised of a base 103 corresponding to a fixing plate, a cylindrical short column 104 and a flange 105.
In addition, the flange 105 is comprised of a disc 106 and an annular frame 107 formed around the circumferential edge of the disc, where the annular frame 107 is formed with a discontinuous segment 108 at its upper part.
In turn, FIG. 11 shows a mechanism at the belt clip, where (A) is a left side elevational view for showing the belt clip; (B) is a front elevational view; (C) is a sectional view taken along an arrow line Yxe2x80x94Y in (B); and (D) is a sectional end view taken along an arrow line Xxe2x80x94X in (B).
In this figure, 201 denotes a belt clip, 202 denotes a clip and 203 denotes an engaging plate for engaging with the portable equipment 101.
In this figure, the clip 202 and the engaging plate 203 are integrally formed with bearing plates 204 and 205 at both sides near their upper positions of their opposing faces, wherein both bearing plates 204, 205 are rotatably connected at a shaft 206 under a state in which both bearing plates 205 at the engaging plate 203 fit both bearing plates 204 of the clip 202 inside.
Then, a twisted coil spring 207 is fitted outside between both bearing plates 204 at the shaft 206, both arms of the twisted coil spring 207 press and bias against each of the inner surface of the clip 202 and the inner surface of the engaging plate 203.
In addition, the lower end of the clip 202 is integrally formed with an L-shaped hook 208 facing inside, and a biasing force attained by both arms of the twisted coil spring 207 pushes the extremity end of the hook 208 against the engaging plate 203 under a principle of lever with the shaft 206 being applied as a fulcrum.
Accordingly, although each of the plate surfaces of the clip 202 and the engaging plate 203 is normally in a parallel state to each other, when the upper sides of the clip 202 and the engaging plate 203 are held with fingers to cause them to be approached to each other, the extremity end of the clip 202 is opened, resulting in that a belt is received between it and the engaging plate 203 under this opened state and after this operation, when the holding pressure by the fingers is released, the belt clip 201 can be installed at the belt.
The front surface of the engaging plate 203 is formed with a small-protrusion type claw 209 and an engaging part 210.
In this case, the claw 209 has such a shape as one in which a width (w) of the claw 209 is narrower than a width of the discontinuous segment 108 of the annular frame 107 formed at the flange 105 of the portable equipment 101, a length (a) of the claw 209 is smaller than an inner diameter of the annular frame 107, and a height (h) of the claw is set to be lower than a height of the annular frame 107, wherein the claw is formed at the central position of the lower region of the engaging plate 203.
In addition, the engaging part 210 is comprised of frames 211, 212 arranged at both sides and a front plate 214 formed with a substantial U-shaped recess 213, and this is constituted as a cylindrical member at the surface of the engaging plate 203.
In such a configuration comprised of the protrusion 102 at the portable equipment 101 and the engaging plate 203 at the belt clip 201, when the portable equipment 101 is set upside down (the discontinuous segment 108 of the annular frame 107 at the protrusion 102 being set at a lower side) and its flange 105 is fitted into the engaging part 210 at the belt clip 201 under a state in which the belt clip 201 is being installed at the belt 220, as shown in FIG. 12, the flange 105 is guided down to the lower side of the engaging part 210 while the short column part 104 of the protrusion 102 is being guided by the recess 213.
Then, the discontinuous segment 108 at the annular frame 107 of the portable equipment 101 causes the entire claw 209 at the belt clip 201 to be inserted into the annular frame 107 and then the short column 104 at the portable equipment 101 under this state is engaged with the lower-most part of the recess 213 of the belt clip 201.
Then, as shown in FIG. 13, when the portable equipment 101 is turned from the aforesaid state by 180xc2x0, the annular frame 107 at the flange 105 is naturally turned around the claw 209 at the belt clip 201, and the discontinuous segment 108 is positioned at the upper side of the claw 209.
Accordingly, the lower side of the annular frame 107 of the flange 105 at the portable equipment 101 is engaged with the claw 209 at the belt clip 201, its short column 104 is restricted under a diagonal relation where it can be moved upward only by the recess 213 at the belt clip 201, resulting in that the portable equipment 101 becomes positioned such that the belt clip 201 can be removed only after the portable equipment 101 is turned again by 180xc2x0.
That is, the portable equipment 101 is engaged with the belt clip 201 under a locked state where a removal stopping is applied.
In turn, when the portable equipment 101 is to be removed, it is turned by 180xc2x0 from the aforesaid locked state to cause the state shown in FIG. 12 to be attained, resulting in that when the portable equipment 101 is to be used, the operation is performed to pull it upward to enable the engaged state against the belt clip 201 to be released.
As another practical example of the engaging mechanism when the belt clip and the portable equipment are made independent from each other, there is also provided another system in which they are released from their engaged state through a button handling operation.
More practically, the belt clip is provided with a claw biased by a spring mechanism, the claw is pushed in when a hook installed on the portable equipment is engaged with the belt clip, the claw returns when a recess formed at the hook reaches the claw and the claw is engaged with the recess to cause it to be locked, wherein there is also provided a mechanism at the belt clip to cause the aforesaid locked state to be optionally released through the button handling operation, wherein when the portable equipment is used, the button is depressed to cause the claw to be forcedly drawn from the recess or the like and the hook can be removed from the belt clip.
Accordingly, in view of its principle, a general type of engaging/releasing mechanism widely applied in other fields is applied.
In accordance with the engaging mechanism shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, it is necessary to turn the portable equipment 101 by 180xc2x0 when the portable equipment 101 is fixed to or removed from the belt clip 201 and this shows an inconvenience that the turning operation must be carried out every time the fixing or removal operation is performed.
In particular, at the time of the belt clip fixing operation, the flange 105 of the portable equipment 101 is normally engaged under a state in which it is stored at the engaging part 210 at the belt clip 201, although if it is forgotten to turn the portable equipment 101, the lock mechanism does not engage and the portable equipment 101 is displaced and dropped due to vibration or the like to cause either damage or trouble to be frequently generated.
In turn, in the case of the button operating type engaging mechanism, it is possible to perform a locking operation without turning the portable equipment, so that the aforesaid inconvenience or disadvantage is not generated. However, when the portable equipment is removed, both the pulling-out operation for the hook and the button operation must be carried out concurrently and it creates an inconvenience in that the removing operation must always be carried out with both hands.
Further, due to application of both hands, it is necessary that the installing position of the belt clip is always set to face against the front part of the belly or near the belly and if an operator performs other activities while keeping a forward inclined attitude, some troubles are frequently produced.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been created to provide a rational engaging mechanism in which the belt clip and the portable equipment are set independently, wherein it is possible to engage or lock the portable equipment without turning it and the fixing operation is made simple to enable a disengagement of the lock to be prevented.
A first embodiment of the subject invention provides an engaging mechanism for portable equipment in respect to a belt clip of a system in which the portable equipment is provided with a protrusion comprised of a short column and a flange, a plate surface of the belt clip is formed with an engaging part composed of frames arranged at both sides and a front plate formed with a substantial U-shaped recess, the short column at the portable equipment is guided by the recess at the belt clip to cause the flange to be fitted to and held at the engaging part, thereby the portable equipment is removably attached to the belt clip characterized in that the flange at the portable equipment is constituted by a disc and the annular frame formed at the circumferential edge of the disc, the upper surface of the protrusion is in continuous with the end surface of the annular frame under a state in which it is protruded inwardly from the annular frame, a protrusion having its circumferential side applied as a slant surface is formed, and in turn, the belt clip is formed with a claw having the side surface corresponding to the released side of the recess at the engaging part applied as a slant surface and the opposite side surface applied as an engaging surface against the annular frame in an area opposing against a space between an inward directed surface of the protrusion and the annular frame under a state in which the flange at the portable equipment reaches the fitting limit part of the engaging part, its plate surface is formed with a substantial U-shaped slit containing the claw inside to constitute a resilient cantilever beam.
According to this embodiment, when the flange on the portable equipment is fitted to the engaging part on the belt clip, the annular frame at the flange causes the cantilever beam to be flexed while being slidingly contacted with the slant surface of the claw formed at the belt clip and when the claw rides over the annular frame and is fitted between the protrusion of the flange and the annular frame, the resilient cantilever beam returns back to its original state.
Accordingly, under this state, the claw is present inside the annular frame and also in the recess except the protrusion and the engaging surface of the claw is engaged with the inner wall surface of the annular frame so long as the flange is not turned by about 180xc2x0, so that the flange is not pulled out of the annular frame. That is, the portable equipment becomes locked with the belt clip.
In turn, if the flange is turned by about 180xc2x0 from its position after it is fitted, the slant surface formed at the side surface of the protrusion of the flange cause the cantilever beam to be flexed while being slidingly contacted under a state in which it rides over the claw at the belt clip from its circumferential direction, and the upper surface of the protrusion at the flange rides over the upper side of the claw.
Then, since the upper surface of the protrusion at the flange is continuous with the end surface of the annular frame, if the flange turned by about 180xc2x0 is moved toward the released side of the recess at the belt clip as it is, the flange can be removed from the engaging part. That is, the locked state is released and the portable equipment can be removed from the belt clip.
A second embodiment of the subject invention provides an engaging mechanism of a portable equipment in respect to a belt clip of a system in which the portable equipment is provided with a protrusion comprised of a short column and a flange, a plate surface of the belt clip is formed with an engaging part composed of frames arranged at both sides and a front plate formed with a substantial U-shaped recess, the short column at the portable equipment is guided by the recess at the belt clip to cause the flange to be fitted to and held at the engaging part, thereby the portable equipment is removably attached to the belt clip characterized in that the flange at the portable equipment is constituted by a disc and the annular frame formed at the circumferential edge of the disc, the upper surface of the protrusion is in continuous with the end surface of the annular frame under a state in which it is protruded inwardly from the annular frame, and in turn, the belt clip is formed with a claw having the side surface corresponding to the released side of the recess at the engaging part and both side surfaces adjacent to the former side surface applied as slant surfaces and having the other side surface as an engaging surface against the annular frame in an area opposing against a space between an inward directed surface of the protrusion and the annular frame under a state in which the flange at the portable equipment reaches the fitting limit part of the engaging part, its plate surface is formed with a substantial U-shaped slit containing the claw inside to constitute a resilient cantilever beam.
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in view of the fact that both side surfaces at the claw of the belt clip are applied as slant surfaces in opposition to the first invention in which the slant surface is arranged at the circumferential side of the protrusion of the flange at the portable equipment, while the other composing elements in the second embodiment are the same as that of the first embodiment.
More practically, their differences merely consist in the fact that when the portable equipment is removed from the belt clip, the slant surface is formed at the protrusion of the flange to cause the protrusion of the flange to be ridden over the claw of the belt clip, or the slant surface is formed at the claw of the belt clip, and a function attained by each of the mechanism elements at the stage of fixing or removing is the same as that of the first invention except the above different points.